The Secret Policeman's Ball was the third of the
benefit shows staged by the British Section of Amnesty
International to raise funds for its research and campaign work
in the human
rights field. In later years, other Amnesty benefit shows also
bore the Secret Policeman's title. They are informally
referred to as The Secret Policeman's
Balls.

The Secret Policeman's Ball took place over four
consecutive nights in London
in June 1979. It was a successor
to the 1976 show A Poke In The Eye (With A Sharp Stick)
(the film of which was titled Pleasure At
Her Majesty's) and the 1977 show The Mermaid
Frolics.

The show was directed by Monty Python alumnus John Cleese and
producers Martin
Lewis and Peter Walker.[1] It
subsequently yielded a one-hour TV special, a full-length movie,
and two record albums (one each of comedy and music
performances).

The show and its spin-off film and record albums were very
influential in galvanizing the participation of entertainers in
political and social causes in subsequent decades.[2]
Musicians-turned-activists such as Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bob Geldof and Bono have attributed their participation in human rights issues
to their exposure to Amnesty via The Secret Policeman's
Ball show. Bono told Rolling Stone Magazine in 1986 “I saw
The Secret Policeman’s Ball and it became a part of me. It
sowed a seed..."